The New Spear
by Elusith
Summary: Taking place after the second wave, in a small twist of fate, Motoyasu suffered a crippling blow to his soul when Glass attacked. As such, to ensure the continuation of the four heroes, another soul was chosen to replace the broken one and to continue living as Kitamura Motoyasu. What will happen to the story now that one of the four changed so drastically? Expect a different tale.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, Elusith here.**

 **I had this idea swimming about in my head about a much more logical and levelheaded Motoyasu in the Light Novel of Rising of the shield Hero. After much deliberation (and lotsa procrastination) I decided to get my lazy ass up and running to start with this fanfiction.**

 **Warning to readers: I won't be bashing on the other heroes in this fiction, and there won't be op heroes like Naofumi's shield god mode at the later arcs of the Light Novel. Most of all, expect this story to be different from the original. This is your only warning XD.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of products in this story save the OCs.**

 **Also, if you have any feedback or reviews, please do share them. They will make me write more quickly and produce improvements in the story.**

* * *

"Where am I?" I yelled to the darkness. The world before me was blanketed in darkness, and I could see no further than the tip of my fingers. It was… desolate, empty…

"Where am I?" I yelled again. This cannot be happening. How did I end up here in the first place? How did I…

"Dead."

I could not see the source of the voice, but as though it was the key to my memories, the singular word unlocked a torrent of scenes. Images that I immediately wish I did not ask to see.

I could still feel the feeling of water rushing into my lungs. The experience of the crushing pressure around me, the strength fading from my limbs still ingrained firmly into my mind.

And above all, the brief but insanely painful sensation when I watched the electricity generator slam into the liquid body.

I was most definitely dead.

If so, then where is this place? I racked my brains for the answer. From religions like Christianity to Buddhism to Taoism and ancient mythology of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Norse, there is nothing in my memory that matches a cold dark void of nothing in the afterlife.

I licked my suddenly dry lips, surprised that I was still able to do such a thing, and asked the question that was on my mind.

"What happens now?"

"Yes or no?"

"What?"

"Yes or no?"

I was incredibly baffled at the question. For one, there was no context. Furthermore, the fact that there was a chance that it was a possible cosmic entity offering me a question was definitely something worth considering.

"… Yes?" I offered cautiously. My curiosity was definitely increased when I suddenly saw another human being appear before me. He was a tall male and clad in some form of medieval armor. His head was bare and he wore his long hair in the form of a ponytail. However, what caught my attention were his eyes.

His face, while definitely good looking, had the emptiest eyes I had ever seen. Completely devoid of any emotion or life, those hollow orbs sent waves of chilling frost down my spine. This feeling was multiplied tenfold when a while tentacle suddenly materialized and wrapped itself around his head.

I watched closely, mostly because I could do nothing else but wait, as the appendage pulled a glowing orb out of said human's head. No sooner had the orb left the person than it shattered, the clear sound of glass breaking ringing out through the void.

The appendage then slithered towards me. I would have screamed, but fear had overtaken me. I would have ran, but my limbs were frozen in place. As such, I could only gaze on as the tentacle reached into my skull.

The sensation was not quite what I expected. Rather than feeling as though I was drained, I felt at peace, almost uplifting. It almost felt as though as I were ascending into a higher plane.

"Kitamura Motoyasu."

"Huh?" I replied, though rather weakly.

"Your new name, for forever."

I did not get the chance to register those words. For right after they were spoken, an orb of pulsing light filled my vision, and then, darkness was all I know.

* * *

"Motoyasu! Wake up already!"

Or so I thought. I bit back a curse as bright light filled my eyes and squinted upwards as I try to adjust my sight to the blinding light. However, before I could properly get my vision back, a slender hand suddenly caught me and shook me violently.

"Finally, Motoyasu! I need to hurry up and get dressed! Father's questioning the bastard shield right now!"

"Bastard shield?" I muttered confusedly. My vision was still blurry, but my mind was clear. However, I have only heard of the bastard sword, not a bastard shield… And why would anyone want to question a piece of object anyway?

"Hurry up already! We need your help now!"

"Who are you?"

That question was probably the wrong thing to ask, as the entire room fell silent almost immediately. The silence was deafening and I was deadly sure that this was merely the calm before the storm.

"Excuse me?" The voice, one that I clearly know to be female, asked. I could literally feel the disgust dripping down from it, and somehow I knew that I screwed up. Badly.

"You actually dared to forget my name?"

It appears that I have to be truthful to have any chance of getting out of this one. "Yes," I said, "so who are you?" My eyesight is getting clearer by the second. However, I was not too keen on getting it back, considering the situation that I was in.

"Lady Malty … may I?"

"What, you lowlife?" I am really beginning to dislike this girl already, whoever she was; her condescending attitude was really getting to me.

"I think he may have lost his memories."

"What?" Huh, she was slow on the upkeep too. "Prove it." Not to mention very cynical.

"Sir Motoyasu … do you remember any of us?"

"No."

Somehow, I had a feeling that that was the right answer.

 _Sometime later~_

I really dislike that Malty girl. Princess of a kingdom or not, she radiates an atmosphere of a manipulative bitch. Like one from those crappy stereotypical secret agent movies. Really, her every movement screams out 'SCHEMER'.

The fact that I was apparently indebted to her does not help much. From what I could gather from her obviously exaggerated tale and Elena's, another who claimed to be in my party, account, I was supposed to be the Spear Hero, a national hero who was backed by the king. This was an incredibly frustrating situation, to say the least.

I tapped the spear in my hand as I pondered my situation. After I had been 'reborn', I obviously was stuck in this world for a supposed indefinite amount of time as this 'Kitamura Motoyasu'. I was one of four heroes and my duty was to protect this kingdom from threats. Furthermore, it appears that I have an ongoing rivalry with the Shield Hero, one of my counterparts and I was supposed to face him in a duel to the death sometime soon.

The last part was claimed by Malty; as a result, I decided to take it with a grain of salt. Furthermore, I was sure that in a matchup against him, I would be almost certain to lose to him. The combat experience between us was… far too much.

Gazing around the hospital ward, I tried to remember Malty's reasons about my admittance. If I recalled correctly, she had said that during one of those waves, a period of time when a huge load of monsters began to invade, I had my powers stolen by the Shield Hero who proceeded to use it to defeat the invasion by himself.

It was quite worrying, for were it be true, that means I have a powerful enemy around me. However, if it were to be false, that would mean that the princess of this country would try to use me as a pawn for whatever reason she hates the Shield Hero for.

I should probably try to make peace with this Naofumi Iwatani. Nevertheless, I still possess too little information about the situation. I need more, and from a reliable source. Preferably someone not acquainted with that conniving woman. I would want as little to do with her as possible.

I was shaken away from my thoughts by the sound of a gentle rapping on the door. Smoothing out my shirt out of habit, I stood and opened the wooden frame.

"Elena, what are you doing here?"

The brown haired female was supposedly one of my party members. Most of the time I saw her, she was so full of praises for the spoiled princess. However, this time, her eyes were laced with undisguised disgust, a symptom I found most disturbing and fascinating.

"Sir Motoyasu, Lady Malty and Alrind has moved on to the palace to pass on news about your condition to the King."

"And?" The information was clearly not something that would warrant the look in her eyes. Surely there must be more.

"And they are thinking about telling him that Malty and you are engaged."

Well… Crap.

* * *

 **Any reviews or feedbacks for improvement? Share them please!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the story.**

 **Regards,**

 **Elusith.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back! Sorry, I have a lot on my plate ever since the first chapter. Was fishing around the internet until I found inspiration to continue this particular work. To be honest, it may not be the best time to come back considering the Isekai outbreak at the moment but whatever. If I procrastinate any longer, this will probably sit in the dust forever... maybe that's for the best. But it's too late, and I hope this is an enjoyable piece of work for all ye people.**

 **Note: I have been studying english literature for quite some time, so I have to point out that I'm removing the japanese suffix like -sama. -san and others for the sake of my writing.**

* * *

This had to be worst idea ever. Sighing for the umpteenth time, I buried my face in my arms as I laid back on the luxurious sofa in this room. Apart from me, the only other occupant in this room was Elena, the brunette sitting there, an atmosphere of complete tension about her. We were currently waiting in a room that screamed wealth with the attention to detail on the carvings on its marble walls and double wooden doors, and if that was not enough, there were beautifully modelled wooden furniture complete with silk laden cushions covered with incredible patterns that screamed "Wealth and Power" out at anybody who looked at it.

This was going to be one hell of a landslide, with what I plan to propose involves going against a _king_ , and not just any old king over any small little matter. No, I am going against a king over a marriage proposal made by his eldest and probably most influential daughter.

Yeah, this would probably go well.

Tangling against royalty aside, I found myself extremely curious with how this world works. A fantasy world with all the atmosphere that reality has to offer, but somehow having game interfaces and mechanics within. Frowning at the game menu that popped up as I tapped it, I could only think up a multiple number of ways that would actually make sense.

This feels extremely familiar, like a Virtual Reality (VR) that had existed in my world. However, the details on everything where I far exceeds what the VR from my world has to offer. And there was another issue: the VR experience that my world has to offer does not appeal to my sense of touch in any way. However, I could not completely disregard the possibility of me being stuck in a virtual world, there were plenty of fictional stories where the protagonist was trapped in a virtual environment, and while I do not know of any organizations spearheading the Virtual Environment technology, I cannot ignore the chance that there was a chance of a singular organization around.

Damn, just thinking about the fact that this was all some weird science experiment sent shivers down my spine. There was quite as little things that I value as much as free will, the very thought that I was but a plaything in the hands of another being was rather terrifying.

Nevertheless, there was something that I could not quite understand. Before I woke up as this 'Kitamura Motoyasu', there was a voice that spoke to me and that was thing I could not quite get. I could still remember the events quite clearly, and honestly speaking, I was quite spooked by the entire experience. All that mumbo jumbo about souls and replacing a vital piece of this world was far too dramatic for any sane person. If it were up to me, I would have just dumped myself into this world without any of those drama, to reduce the chances of anybody having an existential crisis and realise that they but a pawn in my whole grand scheme of things.

And there was the other issue, I sighed again as I looked at a nearby golden flask, its surface polished to a bright sheen that reflected a face that was both familiar yet strange to me at the same time.

There was one of the few things that I could have a solid conclusion in the few hours since I woke up. The fact that I could remember barely anything of my previous life save for some few and hopefully valuable knowledge and the fact that responding to the name 'Motoyasu' was almost second-nature to me now, as though it was instinctive; I could decisively say that I had almost surely taken over the persona of 'Motoyasu Kitamura'. However, what nagged at me was the problem that I had definitely retained my personality from my previous life, if not my name… or at least I think it was mine and not Motoyasu's.

"This was getting way too complicated for my liking." I groaned painfully as I rubbed my aching forehead. So this was what it meant to have an existential crisis, and the sooner I leave it behind me, the better. Especially with a forced marriage arrangement coming around the corner.

Why do all bad things come in bundles?

"THAT'S MY LIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!"

I jumped slightly as that extremely loud and vocal sentence echoed about the room. Considering that the throne room was where it came from, and especially considering how loud it was when it thundered to this room, I actually fear for the safety of those people who was in the same room as the person who shouted. Especially their eardrums.

"It appears that the king would be in a bad mood today." Elena muttered unhelpfully. It took quite a bit of effort on my part to not snap out a 'thank you, Captain Obvious' at her. It would not do if I were to be on bad terms with my only ally at the moment.

Approximately thirty-eight minutes after the outburst from the Throne room, the double wooden burst open to reveal a red-faced old man decked in what were probably the finest clothes one could ask for. To be honest, he doesn't really need the crown atop his head to let me know that this is probably Malty's father, the king of Melromarc, Alt… Aur…

I'm going to have to ask Elena for a refresher lesson later.

The king barely registered our presence, hardly acknowledging our greetings as he quickly strode over to a small table with a tall silver jug on it. Lifting the jug, he drank from it deeply as Elena and I watched in silence. The man had just came back from what could only be a shouting match, it would probably be for the best that we did not interact with him before he cooled down.

Letting out a sigh of contentment as he lifted the container from his lips, the king wiped the residue of the wine from his beard, looking nowhere as angry as he was a few seconds ago. Turning faster than I would have given him credit for, he looked at us with eyes far sharper than anybody his age should rightly have, as though he was registering us for the first time.

'Well, at least he mellowed down quicker than expected.' It was a good sign, considering that we would not want to broach this subject with an angry monarch if we wanted to solve without any repercussions at all.

"Well, Motoyasu-dono, Elena-san," the king smiled, as though I was the sight he needed to wash all of his sorrows away. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I had some pressing issues that warrants dealing with."

"It was nothing, your majesty," Elena smiled, though she did gazed at me most weirdly. I was in the midst of pondering what she was doing when she sighed and jerked her head towards the King.

Oh.

"W- We were not troubled by it, Your majesty." I bowed quickly. 'Definitely not used to this though.'

"Oh please don't do that." The king chortled as he hurried to pull me up. "It would be too much for me to ask to have one of the three heroes who defend my realm to bow to me."

To say that I was stunned was an understatement. From what I had seen from Malty, I had expected her father to be a rotten, conniving bastard that sought to manipulate me to suit his needs.

Maybe she took after her mother more?

"Thanks, your majesty."

"Oh please, no more of that 'majesty' thing, Motoyasu-dono." The king laughed as he gave me a reassuring pat on the back, "you may just refer to me as Aultcray, or King Meromarc."

"Understood, Melromarc."

"And stop being so formal! You're practically family now!"

"Uhhhh…"

Thankfully, Elena seemed to notice my conundrum as she quickly stepped in. "Please forgive Motoyasu if he failed to act like he used to, Lord Melromarc. He have a loss of me-"

"Yes, yes. A loss of memory, I heard from Malty." Aultcray waved a hand dismissively at her, keeping his eyes trained on me. It was a good thing, considering that it made him missed the dark look that flashed across Elena's features when she was dismissed. "It was no doubt the work of the Shield Demon. I'm sure of it!"

I frowned at that statement. It was very curious that almost every misfortune in this world was attributed to the Shield Hero. Was he truly that evil that he had to be ostracized at first glance? Maybe, maybe not. However, I was inclined to believe what the masses say for now. There was far too little evidence to make a conclusive statement as of yet.

"- as such, I will not be acceding to her request now."

Crap, I had completely phased out of the conversation! And it seemed to be important, giving the fact that Elena seemed to have be stunned by the request. Wait, that was an understatement, the woman can almost be likened to a statue with how still she was right now.

"Your Ma- I mean, Lord Melromarc" I stuttered, unsure of how to phrase my words. It was rather rude to not be listening when someone else was speaking, and even more likely to invite the death sentence if that person is a monarch. In the end, I settled for the blunt approach. "Could you please repeat yourself?"

He gave me one of the most weird look as soon as I said that, though it lasted a few seconds, it felt as though I could be hauled off to a guillotine.

"I said, as you are currently suffering from amnesia, I would not be agreeing to Malty's request to marry the two of you."

Relief unlike any other I had ever experienced before washed over me in such great waves that I would have been revelling in ecstasy if I had not been in the presence of a monarch. However, that was when a thought struck me.

This was a monarch I am dealing with. Furthermore, I was supposed to be an esteemed hero of the land. That means, whether I like it or not, I am now a part of their politics. And in the game of politics, there is always a catch. There must be a reason why he did not want me to marry his daughter immediately.

"Understood, Lord Melromarc." As I bowed, I quickly ran through multiple ways I could turn this events into my favor. I may be at a disadvanta-

"However, there is a more important matter that I need you to deal with." Walking over to the table, the King poured out a glass of red liquid for himself. Taking a long draught from it, he continued. "I do not know how he did it, but the Shield Demon had somehow stolen your powers and your memory to defeat the wave. As such, your reputation has taken a new hit and faith in the demon himself has been rising, something that will no doubt spell disaster for us. To tell the truth, even I am slightly wavered by your ability to keep us safe, especially with the loss of your memories."

"Yes, Lord Melromarc." It was easy to agree with him, considering the fact that I barely knew this Naofumi person. That aside, the rest of his points seem valid enough that it warrants my agreement.

"So, I will be needing you to restore faith in yourself across the land." Aultcray smiled proudly. For me, I kept quiet in order to assuage his ego. Kings need their pride, after all, especially when they were revealing their master plan for whatever they want done. "There was word of necromancy happening in a town up north that has been terrorizing the people there, I will be happy if you could restore my faith in you if you would deal with that problem."

I blinked. This was the best case scenario that I could have hoped for! Not only was the marriage abolished, but I have an excuse to get away from not only the eyes of the public and also get to know this world better!

I like this guy.

* * *

I hate this world.

The king had the decency to pass us quite a big sum of gold pieces to help us on our journey, about a hundred all told. To my infinite puzzlement and relief, I was only to be accompanied by Elena, while Malty and her companion were asked to stay by command of royal order.

I had a strong suspicion that she was behind that order, but it was weird move considering how she had been scheming to force a marriage unto me from the start. Nevertheless, it was quite a blessing, especially considering how she had given me the creeps from the start.

Of course she had divided the budget equally , saying that there was no need for us to carry that many gold pieces with us now that the travelling number was lower. While I suspect that she probably wanted to use those pieces for her own benefit, it was a problem that I have no issue with, considering that Elena had told me that a single gold piece was quite a sum in it of itself.

It would have been quite peachy, if not for the fact that there was literally nothing to spend it on. Well, almost nothing. Paying for supplies barely made a dent in our financial sum, even inclusive of the various potions that o brought along in anticipation of the journey.

How much was a gold coin actually worth for a dozen loaves of bread to cost less than a tenth of its value? If the King could so casually pass out a hundred pieces as though it was no big deal, how skewed is the division between a noble and a peasant?!

Well, hopefully the sum would deplete substantially after I paid a visit to the blacksmith. Regardless of worlds, metalworking should remain quite an expensive and tedious art. So if this place follow that logic, I fully expect to be walking out of the store carrying at least less than half of what I have in my haversack now.

I hope so, for the sake of my sanity. I sighed again, though it out of the corner of my eye I could see Elena shoot me a concerned look.

"Sir Motoyasu, are you alright?"

"Yes, sorry about that. Probably just a little concerned with my current equipment." It was not a hundred percent false statement either, I thought as I looked down at my clothing. I was decked in a a white tunic and black pants that I heavily suspect to be made of silk with how smooth the textures were, complete with fine leather boots. It was a nice set of clothes, except that it was ill suited for any form of combat. Unfortunately, my armour had been quite beaten up ever since the 'wave' and was sent for repairs, work that would not be finished by the time I was asked to leave.

"We should stop by the tailor later." I said aloud, realising that we were probably going to need some traveling clothes. Those were a definite necessity when going on a journey. And tents too, those will definitely help.

This totally feels like a camping trip already.

"We're here." Elena spoke up as she pointed out a storefront on the side of the streets. It had only a single sign with an anvil and some gibberish written on it as an indication of what it was.

Note to self, learn this world's language.

The inside of the shop was as one would imagine how a weapons store would look like. Swords, spears, axes and maces lay neatly on racks while shields of various shapes and sizes hung off hooks driven into the wall. Even the counter was manned by a stereotypical blacksmith, huge and burly with a scar across an eye and with the look of a man with a single deadly mission.

"Welcome!" He barked, "what may I do- Spear hero?!"

Now that was a mood swing if I had ever seen one. However, it seemed to be a turn for the worse when the man drew himself up to his full height, his casual gaze replaced with one full of wariness and caution.

"How may I help you, hero?"

Well, that's one meeting going sour with every passing minute, have I, as in Motoyasu, did something to this guy before? I grimaced as I mentally cursed the lack of memories. It would be so much easier to smooth this meeting over if I knew what I, as in Motoyasu had done to garner this reaction from him. Well, one can't have everything in life.

"Er, well, the king had a mission for us…" I quickly outlined the details of the mission given by King Melromarc and highlighted our current situation for him.

"So you need a new suit of armour for yourself?" The burly man asked, eyebrow furrowing as he lapsed into thought.

"Something light, if possible. Mister eerr.."

"Elhart. The name's Elhart." The giant of a man said as he stomped to the back of the store and began rummaging through the cupboards there. It took him a while before he returned, a shirt of chainmail in his hands. For some reason, Elena seemed to recognise the item, though I was a bit too focused on it to give her actions much thought.

"Lightest one I could find," he rumbled, eyeing me as a farmer would a customer trying to purchase his prized lettuce, "well made and almost brand new."

I could taste the emphasis he put on the word 'almost'.

Washing my gaze over the mail, I could definitely see the truth in his words. The chains were well polished, and the gaps between each of them were almost invisible to the naked eye.

"May I?" I asked as I held out my hand. Elhart met my gaze evenly before nodding, without hesitation, I donned the armour. It was slight loose at the arms and the waist but was otherwise a perfect fit.

Turning back to Elhart, who for some reason held a look of complete surprise on his face, I quickly fished out a pouch from my haversack.

"How much does this cost?"

* * *

Somewhere at the castle of the Melromarc's, King Aultcray Melromarc III looked down on his city from one of the structure's many balconies, a goblet of wine in his hand. Somewhere down there, his latest conquest was running around, intent on preserving their reputation.

"Father," a voice, Malty's, to be specific all but wailed behind him. "Why didn't you approve of the marriage between me and Motoyasu?"

Turning around, Aultcray looked upon his beloved daughter. She was not looking worse for the wear, nor does she seem particularly distressed, if anything, she seemed almost livid. However, Aultcray knew that somewhere within her, she was surely sad that she did not have her dream realised.

"Malty, Motoyasu have lost his memories," he reasoned, "whatever love he has for you was lost with it an-"

"He said he loved me before the final battle!" Malty screamed angrily. Though no tears accompanied that, the king was sure that she was merely holding them back. His daughters were born strong, if only both of them had held an intense hatred for the Shield Demon as he did.

"If he truly loved you, he would have definitely regained his memories at the sight of you." Aultcray mused. "But he did not, so until he regains them, or rekindles the spark between the both of you I will not approve of any marriage between the both of you."

"But who cares! He can help you get rid of the stupid Shield!"

Aultcray felt a mixture of emotions at that statement. First was a rush of furious rage as he thought back to the earlier argument he had with the Shield Hero. The second was a wave of gratitude that his daughter would want to help him so. He truly was blessed. However...

"It's not as though I do not want his help." Aultcray tightened his grip on his chalice as he imagined doing the same to the neck of a particular armored figure with a shield on his arm. "But right now, the shield is getting popular among the people while Motoyasu's strength is questioned by them. We can't risk him facing off the Shield Demon as it stands right now. It would be much better if they settle it once Motoyasu had proven to the public that he is indeed the hero we deserve."

Malty opened her mouth as if to argue, only to close it again as recognition flirted across her face. Aultcray felt a surge of pride at that, it shows that his daughter was learning, and learning quickly.

"Don't worry, if the situation is right, I will gladly approve of your engagement so long as Motoyasu is willing." Malty only let out a disinterested snort at that. Though it pains Aultcray that he had to deny his daughter so, it was something necessary, for the sake of her happiness.

"By the way, where is your sister, Melty?"

"I don't know, I'm not her babysitter."

Aultcray let out a grunt of disappointment. Melty had always been the more sensible of his two daughters, and the more innocent one too. While he do not doubt her ability to take care of herself, a parent could not help but worry if someone would take advantage of his daughter's pure heart.

No matter, Melty would definitely be safe. After all, her bodyguards had been among the elites of the Church, a constant ally to his family. If anybody would prevent anything happening to his beloved daughter, it would definitely be them.

* * *

The trip to the blacksmith turned out to not be a total disaster. After I had worn the chainmail, Mister Elhart's mood took a considerable turn for the better. In fact, he even took the time to write a letter and asked me to deliver it to a friend of his in the town we were going to, even going as far as to recommend that person's services.

The trip to the weavers had been slightly less exciting, except for the slight incident when my spear transformed into a small needle upon touching one of the tailor's equipment that I had used to hold my ponytail down. It was mightily convenient now that I do not need to lug a weapon about my person, though I did also entertain the thought about learning how to sew. Perhaps one day I would pick it up as a sub-class?

Well, now we were quite prepared. With a week's worth of supplies, we should be able to make it to the town of…

"What's the name of the place we're going again?" I asked Elena, who for some reason was lugging about a bag that was three times as large as the one I remembered giving her. Hell, it was about as large as mine, and I deliberately gave her the lighter one as a gentlemanly act.

So much for that, I suppose.

"Exel. It's the town of Exel."

Nice name, I suppose. Hopefully it's one of those cozy towns that has a vibrant community. I scoffed at the thought, if only it would be that perfect. Chances are that the town would happen to be a place where I may uncover more than a few unpleasant secrets if I looked hard enough.

Sure it was quite far fetched, but then again I'm in a fantasy world so who could say for certain?

"Right," I gazed down at myself and Elena. I had replaced my fancy clothes for an actual set of green travelling clothes, with the new chainmail worn over it and a brown travelling cloak to complete the set. Elena was garbed similarly, and was actually looking rather nervous about the whole ordeal. I should probably say something to lighten her mood. "You know, I'm actually kind of glad that Malty isn't here, if only so that I can't hear her complain about wearing this."

Elena actually let out a giggle at that, breaking my image of her as the stoic swordswoman who saw smiling as a sin. Now that I had raised the morale of my group, it's time to move out. Except that there seemed to be something I was forgetting about...

"Motoyasu."

I stopped and turned about. "Yes?"

"Are we walking all the way?"

"Yes?"

"Motoyasu, We can always hire a wagon to bring us there."

Dead silence rang between us as Elena let the sentence sink in.

"Elena?"

"Yes, Motoyasu?"

"Thank you for helping me."

* * *

 **Criticism are not compulsory but encouraged. 3 u all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heya folks. Elusith here. Another chapter finally done, and I hope that you enjoy it!**

* * *

It had been two days since Elena and I had set out from the city of Melromarc. Somehow, the other passengers did not know who I was, probably by the lack of the spear on me. That was all fine by me for the first day, considering that I was at quite a loss at what to do if I was swarmed by the other passengers. Unfortunately, our caravan was set upon by a pack of wolves on the second day, and I had to step in to help them to avoid there being too many casualties. Unfortunately the very act had revealed our identities. Thankfully, the other passengers, minus the children, were considerate enough to allow us some manner of privacy.

There were a total of four caravans. Three separate groups of passengers numbering two(that's us), three and four. Apart from a single driver per wagon, we also have an escort numbering four people. Elena had expressed her surprise at seeing a demi-human among them, but luckily the wolf-man(werewolf?) did not seem to mind. At least she had apologized afterwards.

Pulling the needle out of my hair, I twirled it about before turning it back into its original form. Looking at the small transparent window that popped out, I paid close attention as I changed the form of the spear once more. Originally, it looked like an elaborate yet simple weapon made out of a white metal, now however, it was grey in colour with a tuft of hair on the end.

The first one was called the [Legendary Spear], while this one was the [Wolf Spear]. Unoriginal names aside, it appears that the way I unlocked weapons was similar to a game I once played, I merely had to battle an enemy to unlock different variations of the weapon. No, that was wrong, I quickly realized as I recalled how I had unlocked the [Needle Spear]. I had only to touch the other item to do so.

Oh.

Struck by a sudden realization, I quickly pulled a number of items from my haversack. Some metal ores I had received as thanks from one of the passengers, a silver coin, a quill and a canteen of water. One by one, I placed each item on the blade of my weapon. The quill went first and immediately the spear changed its form, now something akin to… that's a fountain pen, isn't it?

A window popped up above the pen, [Pen Spear Unlocked]. Stopping myself from facepalming, I turned the spear back into the [Wolf Spear] and repeated the process with the ore, except that nothing happened initially. Gingerly, I placed another, and one more again when the same scenario repeated itself. Third time's the charm when the a window popped up: [Skill: Stalk Achieved!].

Allowing myself a grin as I took note of this, I quickly pressed the silver coin onto the spear. To my disappointment, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and the same thing happened with the Canteen of Water. It appeared the spear would only react to only certain objects, perhaps raw items? Quickly I fished out the pouch of wolf claws that one of the guards had presented to me. Touching the claw to the weapon, the same thing with the ore occurred.

Sitting back, I mulled over this new information. It appears that the legendary weapons follow a similar mechanic to a Role-Playing Game that I had played… back at my world. Different variations can be unlocked by bringing the weapon to contact with certain enemies and items. These variations can be refined individually to unlock different skills and abilities. Of course, there were questions that still remain unanswered. Like what sort of items can refine the weapons, and if the skills were interchangeable between different variations of the world. The latter was rather unlikely, though it would be a godsend if it were true, but I still need to test it ou-

"Sir Motoyasu!"

I gazed out at the driver of my wagon, a slim blonde boy decked in leather armor by the name of Modi. Unlike the others, he had not seemed cowed even after we had revealed ourselves. It was a nice arrangement, truth be told, seeing as he was able to maintain a proper conversation when speaking to us.

"Yes, Modi?"

"We will be coming to a stop soon for a break! There will be a stream nearby if you want to wash up or refill your canteens!"

"Understood, thank you."

Turning about, I took in the interior of the wagon before settling my gaze on the slumbering Elena. The Wagon was quite big, large enough to seat eight people. It was a lot of space for two people, and once more I could not fathom why Mord refused to join us, instead choosing to sleep outside on her wagon sleep. Well, there was no point dwelling on such thoughts.

"Elena, time to wake up."

No response.

"Elena? We are reaching a stop."

Still nothing.

"Elena…."

Nope.

"Malty has arrived and will be joining us on the trip."

It was a first for me, seeing somebody shoot up into an alert position that quickly, that must have been some skill, to go from lying down to a combat stance in a matter of seconds.. Elena gazed about with the look of a wolf that had been alerted to the presence of a hunter and was unsure whether to stalk him or run away. All of her tension faded away once she got a good grasp on the surroundings, though it was quickly replaced by ire directed at me.

"Motoyasu, that's not funny."

"It's not my fault that you are such a sleepyhead, Elena." I smiled as I took a seat, pointedly ignoring the death glare directed at me.

We were spared from any further arguments as the wagons grounded to a stop. I could not help but hear a few exchanges between Modi and the remaining guards before he popped into the wagon.

"Good afternoon, Sir Motoyasu, Lady Elena. We are stopping for a while!"

"How long?"

"About an hour?"

An hour… We had not really a need for any break considering that we had slept our time away on the wagon, in fact, the only thing close to a strenuous activity was the research that I had done.

"Right, is there any place where mobs will gather?"

"Mobs? Like people?"

Right. Game terms not usable here. "Sorry, I meant monsters like the wolves yesterday."

"Ah, the forest had a number of monsters stalking it. You should have no trouble running into something that will want to take a bite out of you."

Wow, talk about being blunt. This Modi was as straightforward as they come, not that I do not appreciate it however. "Then I'll be going hunting. You coming, Elena?"

"I'll be with you in a moment."

"Please be back in an hour." Modi stressed, "we need to leave by that time if we want to reach the next town by evening."

"Right."

* * *

"Stalk."

I watched as my body gradually turned grey, as though the shadow of death had crept up on me. This was my third time using that skill, and it had stupendous results. I especially appreciated the fact that it made my movements soundless.

My target was prowling about in the clearing just ahead. A strong looking bear three times my size and probably eight times my weight, if the numbers given by my [Sense of the Wolf] abilities were to be trusted. Never having to actually test this in practice before, I might have to take everything with a grain of salt.

Elena had been circling around to the left of our quarry. She was actually quite well hidden, considering that I couldn't hear or see her, except for a hazy outline behind some undergrowth that had appeared thanks to my passive skill.

Never thought she was the stealthy type. Maybe I should get some pointers from her later?

Apparently, I spoke too soon. The sound of twig getting crushed rang out throughout the woods. The bear was immediately on guard, eyes and ears twitching as it sniffed the air for signs of anything that had gotten too close to it. First it gave a few sniffs here and there, then it quickly turned around, facing me.

Well, shit.

It wasn't everyday you get something twenty times your mass lumbering towards you at the speed of a child taking his skateboard out for a spin. You can definitely trust me when I say that it was a very unpleasant experience. An experienced hunter or soldier in this fantasy setting would probably step aside and take a glancing slash at the Bear, or at least roll out of harm's way.

Not me. Sparing no time or effort, I did a completely one-eighty and ran. The fight with the wolves was different. I had six guards fighting the rest of the pack while I stabbed my spear at four of them who were too dumb to even realize that attacking a defensible wagon was likely not the best idea that had occurred to them.

My sudden burst of movement worn off the camouflage that [Stalk] had given me. Grey giving way to a brown cloak and greenish travelling clothes, I stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the clearing. A sore thumb which a bear that was protective of its territory would be too happy to chase.

Strangely enough, I felt not a shred of panic. Perhaps it was the fact that all I need to do was to stay out of range of the Bear's teeth and claws. Or maybe there was some hidden skill that I had not noticed helping me out in that regard. Hopefully it was the latter, because I have no wish to become one of those over-analytical clichés.

Though, the calm mind does allow me to notice one extremely fatal flaw in my plan to stay away from the bear. How in the world am I going to defeat it?

"ELENA! A LITTLE HELP?"

It took her awhile but it was not too long before I heard a loud warcry behind me, followed by the bellowing of an enraged bear. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Elena hanging off the back of the thrashing animal, her sword stuck somewhere around itsneck.

Skidding to a stop, I watched the spectacle. Blood was already beginning to stain the clearing, but nowhere near enough to weaken the beast yet. Elena was still hanging on to the back of the bear for dear life, trying her best to not be flung off by the animal's attempts to throw her off.

"Motoya- Sir! He-Help please!"

Elena's plead drew me out of my trance. That's right, I was in a battle, I even forgot I was carrying a weapon in the midst of all this melee. There has got to be something I could do… Something…

Unfortunately, time was not on my side as Elena was rather unceremoniously thrown off to a side as the bear finally succeeded in dislodging her from its back. Eyes brimming with anger, it roared with rage as it began lumbering in my direction.

I tried to run, but somehow my legs remained frozen in place. A feeling unlike anything filled me, a sense of terror unlike any other I have ever felt. In that same instant, I raised the spear and stabbed forward, more out of reflex than from any calculated attack.

I barely felt the impact as the beast impaled itself on my weapon in its blind charge. I did not even flinch as the bear swiped its claws across my face striking me halfway across the clearing. As soon as I stood up, the spear that was stuck dead center of the bear's face disappeared, coming into being in the palm of my hand. Blood freely flowed from its wound, and though the Bear glared weakly at me, its eyes soon glazed over as it collapsed to the ground.

Was it dead? Hundreds of questions flowed through my head as I watched the unmoving body in front of me, my head dazed and dizzy from sudden stop to all the action. This was far different from what happened with the wolves, as I felt myself growing more exhausted as I brought my rapid breathing under control.

Was this what happens when the adrenaline dies down? I have never been a battle before, so I can't really say. Yet, this seems like what those old veterans of the past war described in those historical documentaries.

"Sir Motoyasu, you did it!"

I was reminded again of how sore my body was when another weight slammed into me. Though instead of trying to murder by impact, this one seemed intent on suffocating me instead, as strong arms wrapped around me and gave me a rather powerful squeeze.

"You did it Sir Motoyasu!" Then came a gasp as I was quite suddenly released from the chokehold and dropped rather unceremoniously onto the ground.

As my vision cleared, I was treated to a view of how Elena would look if she were to be colored like a tomato. She was probably embarrassed that she did not know her own strength, almost killing her teammate after a fight. Though there was still a hint a smile under that façade…

"You seemed rather happy." Especially after attempting to kill me. I was tempted to add, but decided to omit in favor of staying alive.

"Oh! I mean… It was the first time that you let me join you in a fight, Sir Motoyasu." Elena seemed to stumble for words here; it would take an idiot with negative IQ to tell that she was not deeply troubled. "Normally you would not let any of us help you in the fight, in fact the most you used to do was to let Lady Malty use magic from afar to assist you."

Seriously? How much have the previous 'Motoyasu' coddled these people?

"I'm just happy that you asked me to join. Even though I was not of much help in the end…"

Lady, if it were not for you I would be running around the woods with a bear on my trail. Though it would be best to let her know that now that I am not as used to this as the last Motoyasu.

"It's not that special. I could probably do more if I had my memories. Probably even take it down by myself like I used to…"

"Oh…" Elena began to turned away, though I quickly spun her around. That tone was all I needed to know that she was feeling dejected, and that sort of thing would be unhealthy for any form of activity. It would be best to show her that I have faith with her at the moment.

"But I'll be counting on your help until then, alright?"

"Yes!" Elena's features brightened up like a child that heard that Christmas had came early. Seriously, what did the previous Motoyasu do to make her idolize him/me this much, so much that she was still willing to stick by his/my side after he/I had lost my memories?

If the answer was either our good looks or an enormous crush, I'm calling bullshit on all of this.

"By the way, Sir Motoyasu." Elena frowned, looking more like her usual self that I was more familiar with. "Why did you not use the [Meteor Spear] that you had unlocked?"

[Meteor Spear]? As per usual, I ignored the naming scheme, but the name made it sound powerful enough. I drew out the game menu and looked through the various list of spears that I had so far unlocked, which numbered about eleven as of now. When I came up with nothing, I began to look through each of the spears available to me. Perhaps it was a skill?

"I don't have it." I said aloud as I went through the final spear form I had unlocked.

"What, but it was your strongest move that you had unlocked after you reached level seventy!"

"Level Seventy?" A sense of dread passed through me as I found my gaze drifting to my status bar and the numbers twenty-eight in bright white atop the health bar.

* * *

It took a full twenty hours before our weary caravan had trudged into the town of Jabrin, a place where our group were scheduled to replenish our stocks and supplies. As I trudged wearily along the dirt road, I mentally played the alphabets through my head. It had taken some coercing on my side to snap Elena out of her self induced shock to teach me this world's language.

Truth be told, I cannot blame her for dazing out while she was teaching me. It must have been extremely disheartening to hear that your main party member was nerfed by about fifty levels. Might be good to let her have some breathing space, especially given how hard it was for her to not hyperventilate when she was tutoring me on how to read.

The language was surprisingly not that difficult to understand. The alphabet were similar to chinese or japanese characters, though they had the same amount as the english alphabet. It was just a simple matter of comparing and reciting the words with their corresponding figures. Of course, that was not just the only bonus that I had received, I mused as I twirled the [Spear Pen] about my fingers. The practice I had over the past few hours had unlocked a plethora of crazy skills that sounded as useless in battle as their names.

[Calligraphy]  
[Penmanship: Common]

[Language: Common]  
[Inscription: Common]

[Scriptwriting]

…

Yeah… I'm not really that impressed. However, if it exists, there should be reason why, no? But considering that I'm not in an environment where combat was much more favored, I probably would not find myself needing those skills anytime soon.

There was not really anything worth doing in this town however. Sure, it was a peaceful place with a homely feeling, and there were many things that had caught my interest, being a city person myself. However, when it came to things that I can do, there were not really much besides walking about and sightseeing.

And I have six hours to do just that.

"Talk about a waste of time." I growled under my breath, I had always been a lazy person at heart, but even I have my limits, unlike what some people believes, it was not hard to get tired and bored of lazing about. Especially when I used to prefer lounging on a couch with a bag of chips, that or ogling members of the opposite sex… Wait….

I groaned as I rubbed my temple. THAT was the former Motoyasu's pastime, one of the most annoying problems I had found myself burdened with was some quirks from the previous incarnation. It was a hassle, especially when I don't know how strong the instinct to chasing skirts would go.

Though, speaking of skirts, I found my eyes drifting over to a female Demi-Human teenager with bear ears walking about with richly dressed girl with astoundingly blue hair. It appears that the relations between the pure and the half-breeds here were actually quite cordial. Or that girl could just be a slave. That was just one of the most infuriating things that I had learned about this place, there was literally nothing I have that I could draw a conclusive line about. Even Elena had seemed unsure, deeply hinting that the history of conflict between humans and demi-humans she was taught was strongly biased and influenced by the Church.

It really stinks when you do not who or what to trust.

Speaking about something stinking, I could still smell the stank of unwashed blood and meat on me. Ever since we had killed the bear, the skinning process had been extremely messy and… disgusting. My respect for the butchers at the markets have only been growing ever since I had to remove the innards of the bear and place them carefully into leather bags to preserve them. It did not really seemed to be a problem for Elena though, though I wonder if I should be concerned that she was used to getting her hands dirty. In fact, why does a world so full of game mechanics have something so realistic built into it? It was as though a human game designer had half-transcended into a god and decided that he will do things halfway instead of properly.

Then there was the atmosphere. The fight with the wolves, and even that one with the bear, it seemed abit too realistic to be a game. In fact, it would probably be much more feasible to view the game mechanics involved as 'weapons' in which one needs to survive in this world. It was really quite morbid when you think about it, I thought darkly as I watched a trio of children playing in the corner, that this peaceful village can easily turn into a scene of terror and pain should a monster or bandit raid show up.

Was this how the people from the old history find their will to fight and kill? Maybe, maybe not. However, what would I feel if I were to let that happen?

What would I feel?

* * *

Nothing else around the town actually stood out to me, until I happen on a small crowd gathered around a wagon. At first glance, it seemed as though it were an ordinary merchant selling his wares, until you noticed the giant plump bird beside him. Furthermore, his products seemed to be drawing quite a lot of attention. They were trinkets and jewellery that seemed reasonably priced. There were also quite a number of potions on a shelf beside him.

Maybe not merely a merchant perhaps?

The trinkets aside, I do find myself in need of more potions. Especially seeing as the ones that we had were donated as charity to the escorts and the few travellers who had taken quite a bit of damage in the tussle against the pack of wolves.

I headed over the stall, staying as inconspicuous as I can. No, I am not trying to steal anything, just making sure that nobody would see me and scream out "Ohmigawd, that's the Spear Hero!" and gather too much unwanted attention.

Picking up a potion, I eyed it and compared its vibrant colors to the ones that I had bought in Melromarc. According to Elena, the potency of a potion is measured by how 'pretty' it looks and no amount of colouring could ever fake its vibrancy. And as far as vibrancy goes, this potion was a beautiful shade of red, indicating its potency as clear as day.

"No stealing!"

I jumped in surprise as a long haired blond girl popped up beside me. She seemed about five to six years old, but what caught my attention were the two white wings that spouted from her back, giving her the look of a cupid.

"I'm not, I'm buying." I considered the young demihuman (unless angels were a thing here) before me. Was she a resident here?

"Master! He wants to buy something!"

Ah, a helper then? Although the word 'Master' had me thinking about- My train of thought stopped abruptly as soon as I saw the expression on the Merchant's face. He was not too shabby-looking, nice features complemented by sharp eyes and a head full of black hair. However, my priorities were not consumed by his looks, rather the look of recognition crossing his face.

I know that look, and I know he was about to shout out. And should the crowd here know that I am one of the four heroes, it would be a huge hassle trying to get out of this place. As these thoughts ran through my head at a mile an hour, I made a decision. Taking a step forward, I grabbed one of his hands which was outstretched and quickly pressed a couple of gold coins in his palm.

"For three bottles of potions. Keep the change and don't tell anyone about this."

I saw his face of recognition morphing into one of surprise and decided that I should probably get going while the going was good. Turning on my heels, I marched briskly out of the place. Hopefully the merchant would not raise a fuss in light of the money I generously gave him though I would hardly want to take any chances. As soon as I rounded a corner of the nearest house, my strides quicken into a running pace.

The faster I get further away from that location the better.

Quickly, I sped along the road, revelling in the physical capabilities of this body. Though, the feeling was soured by the knowledge that this body was not originally mine. It was rather disconcerting that I was so used to this, and that I could actually be okay with using another's body. Unfortunately, I was not paying close attention to my surroundings, as absorbed in my thoughts as I was, I noticed a couple walking down the road far too late. In an attempt to veer away from them, I accidentally lost my balance and ended up tumbling to a humiliating stop somewhere to their side.

"Are you alright, sir?"

I could only let out a groan in response to the lady who asked that question. Though my discomfort was quickly washed away as soon as I heard her companion let out a gasp.

Not. Again.

"Isn't this Spear Her-"Not letting her get any further than she had, I quickly slapped my hand over her mouth. Now that I got a good look at her, I just noticed that I had seen this odd couple walking in the village some time earlier. On a closer inspection, the demi-human girl's ears were not those of a bear, but rather something else. Nevertheless, my priority list was now topped by the fact that she seemed to be on the verge of saying my identity out loud.

My instincts to avoid being the center of attention quickly took over, and that instinct made me do the most sensible thing to avoid attention at the moment.

I ran.

* * *

Raphtalia was a very confused girl, especially with what just happened. For one, this was the last town she had expected to see the Spear Hero walking about in, especially alone, considering his taste for the extravagant and luxurious. For another, she was left completely speechless at the look of abject terror she had seen on Motoyasu.

She didn't do anything to garner that reaction from him, did she?

Shaking her head, she gently shook Melty, who was similarly stunned. "Ah, that was Sir Motoyasu, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" Raphtalia murmured, her mind wandering as she thought about the recent confrontation. Motoyasu had always came across her as a womanizer and a flirt, yet for him to act totally out of character then, it was incredibly suspicious.

'What could he be up too?' Especially with the fact that he does not want to be noticed, and the fact that something about him seemed oddly familiar…

The rest of their walk was concluded in silence, only for it to be broken as soon as a familiar person came into sight.

"Master Naofumi!"

"Sir Naofumi!"

"Ah, it's just the two of you." The black haired youth commented cryptically before he resumed whatever he was doing before, which apparently involved torturing the poor Filo by stretching her cheeks impossibly wide apart with his bare hands.

"Um, Master Naofumi," Raphtalia struggled to make herself heard over the poor girl's moans of pain. "What are you doing to Firo?"

"I told Firo here before that I wanted her to kick that bastard every time she saw him. She didn't, so I'm punishing her here."

"Buargh he hehen heim dah thame!"

"Sir Motoyasu!" Melty cried out in defense of her friend's treatment, "put her down this instance!"

Unsurprisingly, Naofumi did not immediately put her down, but he did loosen his grip on the poor girl. "Well, why did you not kick him?"

"H-he didn't seem the same!"

"Eh?"

Lapsing deep into thought, Raphtalia could definitely see why Firo would not attack this Motoyasu, and if Firo said he didn't seem the same, it must be true. After all, it was almost impossible to hide any malicious (lecherous or otherwise) feelings from a divine bird such as Firo. However, that begs another question as to why was this Motoyasu behaving so differently that even Firo, the most sensitive member among their group, could not detect any underlying intentions from him.

"Waaaaaagagahhahhh!"

"Eh? Sir Naofumi! Stop it this instant! Lady Raphtalia, help me!"

It appears that she have other things to worry about at the moment though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Everybody. It's been awhile. New year and December had been rather busy for me, so there was a lack of updates. Can't say much for the near future too, so hopefully I get to update this more regularly. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. And a belated Happy New Year to you all.**

* * *

The world was aflame. The ground was a brilliant orange as a great wave of fire swept across the land. Everything in the shade of the great cliff was alit, their illumination so great that it was as though the night sky had been banished to make way for a new day.

And I merely sat there, watching everything from the comfort of the sky, as detached from everything as though I was but a pale remnant of what I was.

"Enjoying the view?"

Another figure floated into my view, clad in shining silver armor, its features completely covered in the shadows of its helm. A circle of runes was suspended behind him, and now that I noticed, one was behind me as well. A sheathed sword was strapped onto his waist, though I could just barely make out the multiple runes carved upon its handle.

Wait, how did I know that they were runes?

"War, it never changes." My companion let out a snort of contempt.

I opened my mouth to reply, only to realise that I could not. It was not for the lack of trying, merely that I couldn't feel it. Though I would definitely admit that I was calmer about this than I should be.

I could definitely hear the screams now, the horrified screams of the those in the inferno below. I was not distraught at the fact that those exists, but more so at my inability to do be anything but indifferent to it.

What am I if I were unmoved by such screams of pain?

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I glanced at the source of the voice, but found nothing. In fact, Nothing was probably the only thing to describe that space, I could tell that there was something there, but the emptiness oozing from that twisting space was… the only way I could describe it.

"Maybe they didn't need to burn, maybe they only needed to die, but it wouldn't be so much more delightful, now would it?"

The disturbance moved closer, a writhing void that just simply hurts to look at. Just simply looking at it was nauseating enough as it was. I would've left already, if I knew how.

So, reality check. I cannot speak, cannot move, and was forced to watch this burning scenery before me with a disgusting ball of nothing for a companion. Well, that checks out.

"... You find me annoying, don't you?"

Wait, how did it-

The spacelessness pulsed, though I could feel a faint sense of displeasure from it.

"Well… Soon you will learn to appreciate me, my child of sin…"

I blinked as sudden light filled my vision. These were not the orange illumination casted by the burning forest just now, these reminds me of the morning rays given by the sun.

I blinked a couple of times as I gathered my thoughts. Actually, scratch what I said just now, it is morning and I am in an inn. Sitting up, I looked around the slightly impoverished room I had rented last night. There was also a large curtain hanging from the ceiling that divided the room between Elena's and my spaces. Judging from the soft snoring I hear from the other side, she was likely still asleep.

However, enough of that. I focused my thoughts as I tried to remember what I saw probably just moments ago. There was… fire? A spirit? I grit my teeth in frustration, mostly because I have a sudden urge to sock a particular person in the face, though for the life of me I could not remember who it was.

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. Logically speaking, there was no use trying to recall something that was so blurred out anyway.

I should probably leave this for later.

"Elena. It's time to wake up."

"Sir Motoyasu?" Elena called out sleepily from the other side of the curtain. "U-understood." A slight 'pomf' sound told me otherwise.

Huh… Well, it's not like I could ever blame somebody else for loving to sleep….

* * *

Gripping the spear in my hand tightly, I swung it at an oncoming skeleton. Its bones shattering easy at the impact and I barely flinched as the splinters bounced off me harmlessly. It was a huge improvement compared to my first day on the job, considering how many times I would have died if these skeleton's weapons were able to make it past my armor.

Elena, meanwhile, had realised that slashing attacks were ineffective against the current enemy and had adapted accordingly by crushing the skeletons with the sheathe of her blade, which was apparently hard enough to be used as a club.

However, our apparent success against our current enemy did nothing to alleviate the fact that we were still frustrated with our lack of progress. King Aultcray had arranged for us to meet with the mayor of the town, one Madam Silic, to discuss the current situation of the town of Exel. Apparently, it was far worse than I thought, or rather, it was the worst case scenario that I had hoped would not come to pass.

They had absolutely no clue as to why so many undead began to spawn outside within the plains that we were in right now.

Unoriginal name aside, the newly christened 'Fields of the Dead', was not only a place where we could gather clues as to the source of the recent undead uprising, but also a good farming and training zone, in gaming terms. I have to say that reality was much tougher than I would give it credit for, though with the recent rise with stats, the 'process' to getting stronger was becoming much easier.

The same could not be said for the group of walking dead we encountered.

There was something oddly satisfying about smashing a bony figure into bits. That one had been trying to flank me, which would have been bad news for me as it was rather hard to fight an enemy that was close up to me with a spear, which was too close for me to maneuver my weapon efficiently to defend myself.

Of course, I could have used a smaller form to fight, but that would defeat the purpose of training with the weapon whose standard form was was long .

Spinning the spear around, I struck another skeleton down with the haft, the undead falling to pieces as the strength behind that blow shattering it into bits. Another lunged for me, but a swift kick at it sent it stumbling backwards, creating an opening long enough for me to bring the blade of my weapon down on its skull.

As I watched the skeleton crumble to the ground, the sound of wood striking bone led me to peer behind me, just in time to see Elena brutally smashing the pommel of her sword into the head of another of those undead.

"That makes thirty." Elena counted breathlessly, her disheveled brown hair laden with bone splinters. I had suggested that she had some sort of headwear to make cleaning it out later a much easier job, but I had been firmly rebutted, something about a promise to somebody or something.

Come to think of it, she was blushing when she told me that… hmmmm…..

"Getting easier to kill them?"

"Yes, Sir Motoyasu!" It was rather impressive how she had an expression of somebody who scored really well on her graduation exam.

Well, considering that she lives in a fantasy world where they literally have to fight to survive, I can understand that.

"Looks like this would be it for today…" She mentioned halfheartedly.

"Yeah."

I shared her sentiment. Seven days of hunting, and we still have no clue as to where all the undeads were coming from. Especially since things had been becoming almost like a routine now that I am actually afraid that we would keep coming up short on any answers for the next few days.

That was a dangerous thought. I better hope it never comes to pass.

"We should get going. It's getting dark."

"Umu."

The sun has fully set by the time we returned to the town of Exel. The place was cozy, a sort of welcoming feel set in the orange glows of the torches that illuminated the medieval town, the type you would probably find in olden Europe. It was the sort of place that I would not have minded settling in if I set my mind on that notion. However, as things were, I had a job to do. Maybe, one day when I have settled on a goal in this world…

The first place we settled upon was the Merchant Guild. The place had been recommended to us by Madam Silic, and had proven to be the only way that we could provide for ourselves here through the materials we gathered in our investigation, as they were giving out rewards for the clearing of the skeletons in the field. Furthermore, it was our main source of information for the going ons in the kingdom and other more… less savoury bits of tidbits. A brief talk to the receptionist had us being quickly ushered into a room with four chairs surrounding a round table. No doubt used for meetings between 'business partners'.

"Sir Motoyasu! Good to see you again! If you come this frequently, I'll be needing to actually set time apart from you at this rate!"

"Hello, Mister Porpot. There will be no need for that, at least for the time being."

"Ha!"

Mister Porpot was a man with a robust figure. Sporting brown facial hair that would make most neckbeards blush with envy and decked in robes of green silk, he towered over me and was as wide as me and Elena combined. In fact, it would be hard to imagine someone like him as a merchant instead of a roaring drunk warrior. Hopefully, I would be able to get used to him one day.

Eyes twinkling, Porpot studied the materials we brought him very carefully. Drawing his gaze along the weapons and other materials we looted from the skeletons, he repeatedly jotted down figures in the small notebook he kept tucked in the sash around his waist.

"Mmmmmh, your wage today is six gold pieces. Does that sound agreeable?" He muttered as he placed six gold coins on the table.

Hmmm, looks like he has learned his lesson from the tongue-lashing Elena had given him when we first met. The giant of a man had tried to buy in the loot from our first foray at a big discount, but Elena was fortunately a daughter of a merchant before she became my companion and had called him out for his misdeeds. A few threats later and the man was quick to offer us the actual price and some compensation in exchange for us to not report this scandal.

Fortunately, our working relationship has improved considerably since then, I hope.

"Of course," Porpot continued, "If we cut it down to five gold, I could give you some interesting news I heard the other day…"

I raised an eyebrow at this remark. A gold coin was enough to feed a family of four for two months, and maybe have some more left over to buy a sheep, as Elena had put it. To ask for this much of a decrease for just some bit of news…

Porpot must have seen my doubt, for he quickly added, "I assure you, I have many contacts throughout the kingdom, and I know that this little bit of tidbit may help with your… errand."

Our work here was kept undercover as Madam Silca did not wish to worry her townspeople. As such, under official terms, we were merely passing by. So this means either Porpot's information system was actually that good to find out our intentions here, or he and Madam Silca are connected in some way. I was inclined to believe that it would be the former, for he had demonstrated surprising accuracy when I asked him things that I would presume no one but those that were keeping an eye on me specifically would know.

Such as the fact that I had amnesia. It was a dangerous gamble, letting someone unknown know about it, but the way he had replied to me then confirmed to me that he had known of it. What he was planning to use with that information, I do not know, but for now, I was willing to let the matter slide.

Add the fact that he was businessman at heart, that he would always be looking for profits while trying his best to keep a mutually beneficial relationship, I was definitely interested in the fact that he found something that would be of note to me and my quest.

I looked at Elena, a wordless question in my gaze. She met my stare, before nodding. Looking back at Porpot, I slid a single coin from the pile he placed before me back to him.

"North of the plains was the Exile's Forest, named for the fallen hero Rian some hundred years ago. There, it was said that sometimes one could hear his wail in the dead of night. Of course, I was inclined to believe that those were but mere rumours. However, recently, I heard tell of a shepherd who had caused quite a ruckus in his village nearby."

"So you want me to go to this 'Exile's Forest' on the words on a shepherd who believed he saw something?" I interjected, more than a hint of skepticism in my voice.

"Now, now, none of that. I promised you that this would be worth you time. As I was saying, I thought he was merely sprouting lies when I heard of it from my source. However, she took the initiative to go to the forest edge and found something."

"What?"

"The traces of a higher undead, a wight."

* * *

A wight was not something to be taken lightly. According to Elena and Porpot, it was classified as a third tier Undead, ranked among the third strongest undeads in the recognized Bestiary used by the Adventurers Guild and various kingdom, including the Melromarc kingdom. According to Elena, a wight can be easily dealt with by a full party of three level sixty or so people. However, we should be able to bring it down without much of a struggle, hopefully.

It was the following evening and I was already out camping at the edge of the Exile's Forest with Elena. I was rather surprised at her efficiency, in fact in just a single morning, she had managed to gather the resources from our local inn, the Church and the Pharmacy. All while I was overseeing repairs for our gear in the Smithy.

Right now, if somebody were to ask me to imagine a world without her, I can say that I am pretty screwed.

The wight was reported to be sighted only around the nightfall, that meant plenty of time to rest up before the eventual confrontation with the undead. And make small chatter.

"So, why are you here, Elena?"

It has been two weeks and a half since I had been traveling with Elena and yet I still do not even know half the things that the previous Motoyasu knew about her, if he did take the effort to do so, I mean. In fact, all I can glean from his memories and from what I had seen, she was just a prideful and practical person who had a crush on me. That's it, nothing more, nothing less.

Wait… Why am I trying to get to know her? Why the sudden urge? That was so out of character that I-

"Sorry, Sir Motoyasu?"

Our relationship, was strictly professional. At least until I sorted myself out. Right now, I have no idea what world I am in, what role I am supposed to have. All I know was that I have a King that has been backing me, a princess who wants to take advantage of me and who knows how many enemies out there. Anything else, can wait. I need to find out why I am here… So, I need information...

"What are the 'waves'?"

"Ah, giant waves of monsters that appear at regular intervals. The first one appeared over five years ago. They seem to just destroy everything in sight until a certain time limit before they stop and return to wherever they came from."

Hordes of monsters, huh. So was I called to help stop the waves? Or find our why they keep coming? If there was one thing I was absolutely certain of, it would be that these sort of things do not happen without a reason. There was no way that something set to happen between regular intervals would be part of the natural order. Something was definitely behind this phenomenon.

Though, that does beg the question. Was I meant to stop it, and if so, what then? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to…

Holy shit, this is so bloody annoying. What I would give to just kick back and rela-

"Sir Motoyasu! Over there!"

I raised my head at Elena's cry. It appears that while I was absorbed in my self-reflection, the sun had already set, allowing the darkness of the night to blanket the area in its pitch black embrace. That did nothing to impede our mission,however, rather, it was incredibly helpful to us, if that unhealthy green glow emitting from within the woods were any indication.

"It's the wight." Elena whispered, a touch of nervousness lining her tone.

"Yeah," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. Shouldering my weapon, I leapt off the hill and used the built momentum to begin a fast jog towards the light. A soft 'thud' informed me that I was joined by Elena who kept up with the pace I set as we quickly made our way towards the edge of the woods.

Courtesy of Porpot, we have been provided with a wealth of information regarding the various types of undead. A Wight is among the higher forms of its kind, and as such, possesses a multitude of nasty enemies, one of which was the ability to sense life.

As we neared the edge of the forest, the light grew brighter. The wight knows we were there, and it was coming out.

That was what we wanted.

As a dark shape marched out of the forest, I lunged forward, spear thrusting out at the figure before me. I was vaguely aware of another darting around the both of us to come up behind the figure, sword raised to strike it.

We would have killed it in mere seconds, if not for the incredible speed it showed as a dark blade etched with burning marks deflected Elena's blade, or the dexterity it displayed as a armored gauntlet seized the haft of my spear, halting it in its tracks. In that moment, I met its eyes, burning orbs of green that were filled in hatred and realized something too late.

I have made a terrible miscalculation.

* * *

 **Reviews will appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, another long time since the last post. But you know how it is with us nerds, too many things to do, so little time, so sorry about that. Hopefully this chapter's good enough for the wait, and I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

Death swept by mere inches from my face, as I barely stepped out of the way of the black steel in the arms of the Wight. However, the undead spun with unnatural grace and swiftly delivered a kick to my unprotected abdomen, sending me flying. I struck a tree and collapsed, winded but not yet out of the fight, as I can still barely make out the silhouette of Elena engaging the monster in (formerly living) human shape in a duel of blades.

It was a fool's errand. As my vision refocused, I was just in time to see Elena keel over as she was caught by a clean right hook. A sudden bile that rose in my throat quickly retreated in the face of relief when I saw that she just managed to barely leap out of the way of the follow up sword swing that would have taken her head clean off.

It was evident that we were losing, and that was in no part due to any lack of effort on our side. The skill gap between us was just too huge, and it was clear that we were doing all we can just to avoid a killing blow.

Staggering up, I gripped my spear tightly as I lunged forward towards the melee. My attack was swift, but the undead was quicker still. For a moment, it felt as though my spear stabbed him through, but all I did was to catch a piece of its discolored robe on the blade as it spun away from my attack, putting a jump in between its movements to further its distance from any potential follow up.

"Sir Motoyasu…" Elena heaved in between breaths, "we… should… retreat."

I would if I could. Except that it was next to impossible at the current moment. See, the thing was that I never believed that warriors could sense fear, anger, determination or whatever other emotions from their enemies on the battlefield. Until now, for behind those burning orbs, I get a distinct impression of a predator who wants to sink its teeth into us, in fact, I have the crawling suspicion that it would enjoy doing so.

There was no way that we could run, not without leaving one of us behind.

A brief idea flashed into my mind, before I quickly extinguished that line of thought. Leaving Elena behind would be detrimental to my stay here, and it would give me a bad taste in the mouth permanently… probably.

Regardless, escaping was out of the question, defeating the wight would be asking for the impossible, so… I frowned even as I kept my eyes fixed on the undead who has begun circling us, Frankly speaking, it was quite tough for me to multitask at this rate, the fight was taking up so much of my attention that I barely have time to thin-

The wight suddenly vanished and I felt a slight prickle on my neck. Instinctively, I brought up my spear only for it to meet a sudden force right before I could bring it up fully. The impact shook my entire body even as I felt something cold stop at the side of my neck while burning eyes the color of sickly green stared impassionately at me. It felt as though an eternity had passed as we locked our weapons against each other's, until a flash of silver streaking towards it caused it to leap away.

"Sir Motoyasu," Elena walked up beside me, sword pointing in the direction of the wight. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for the assist."

There was no way we could get out of this shit, can we?

Well, there was another thing I could try… It was, in every sense of the word, foolhardy, but given our current predicament, was there ever any choice involved?

There was no time to share the plan with Elena, no time to even give her the briefest of glances to assure. Without further ado, I dashed forward, eliciting a cry of surprise from Elena. As the distance between me and the undead being closed, I could see it casually taking a defensive stance, sword held upright and ready to deflect any blow I could have prepared.

Given its strength, it probably would easily parry my spear strike… in fact, I'm betting on it.

As quick as I can, I stabbed forward, only for a blur of movement that was its sword to hit it aside. At that exact moment, I released my grip and grabbed hold of its weapon by the hilt with one hand, borrowing its momentum to push it aside even as I extended the other one backward. As though beckoned by the gesture, my spear materialized in my outstretched hand. Mustering all the strength I could, I thrust it forward at the fiend.

For a moment, it felt as though as if there were a type of resistance at the tip of my spear, and my attack slowed down for a fraction of a second before it suddenly pushed through, almost akin to what one might feel when you finally poked a hole in a piece of paper with a pen.

I did it, if the spear that I had just ran through the gut of the wight was any indication, I have managed to land my first solid blow on it.

One would have thought that I would be elated by this, or at least feel some form of apprehension that I have managed to cut the enemy. I did not, in fact, all I experienced was a sense of apprehension as the wight looked slowly down at the weapon that had just been driven through its body.

Before I could pull out the spear, an armoured hand suddenly grabbed my arm, preventing me from moving the weapon. The apprehension was so thick in the air as I watched it locked its gaze with me.

It was my first time getting a good look at the features of the wight. Dirty black rags covered parts of its head, with a blackened horn sticking out from them, however what part that was visible of its face was horrifying to behold. Whatever dried skin that had not yet rotted away clung to its skull, forming a mask of sorts that was illuminated green by its glowing eyes. It still had its teeth, especially the prominent canines, that formed a grisly smile. However, what caught my attention was the flicker of red in the middle of its forehead, covered partially by the rags it adorned.

"Kh… ke...cke…"

I started as the wight began working its jaws, as though it were trying to open them. In fact, that was what it seemed to be doing, as it kept wiggling that particular bone in a way that made it seemed that it had forgotten how to use them. For all I know, that might actually be true,

"Ki...Kyu… ke...kar…"

I hope that Elena was coming over right now, I don't want to risk aggravating the undead by shouting out, assuming that it could even hear me. Do undeads even have eardrums anymore?

"Kyu..kar...karrni."

What?

"Kor..koi…"

How was it even making these sounds?

A small movement to the right brought me out of my train of thought as I saw Elena slowly creeping up on us from the corner of my eye. Hopefully, the undead haven't noticed her, otherwise I would be so screwed, considering that it had one arm free, and all my attempts at pulling myself free was not turning up any results.

"Khang!"

My eyes snapped back towards the direction of the wight. It seemed much more agitated and… alive? Its eyes were burning brighter now, and I swear I could see small streaks of red arcing across those green orbs. Screw it, this has 'bad news' written all over it.

"Elena! Now!"

It all happened so fast and so slow. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Elena break into a run, sword flashing up for an overhead swing that was most probably meant to decapitate the undead

In front of me, the wight's eyes merely burned brighter, and began flaring out of its sockets towards me. The flames were close enough that I could just feel the heat, heat that was too close for comfort.

The sword swung down.

The flames burst forth.

And I felt myself falling backwards…

* * *

A robed figure walked slowly in the darkness of the cave, his strides noiseless and confident as he ventured deeper into the shadows, accompanied by nothing but the silence that the void brings with it.

Silence that was broken as the figure stepped into a group of stalagmites conveniently arranged in the shape of a six sided star. As the air bagan to twist, as the walls of the cave bend in on itself, a voice spoke.

"kilLeR, hoW nICe tO sEE YOu aGAiN."

The voice sounds as though somebody had a cold, decided to take a gasmask and a loudspeaker, and speak with them in an an enclosed room with two additional recordings playing at once. However, if the figure had felt any discomfort from the distorted voice, he did not let it show in his reply.

"It has been a while," He sighed, "Though I never thought I would want to meet you ever again."

"haHAHaHahA, sPArE ME The spIte AnD gET To tHe pOiNT."

"You know what I have in store for her, do you not?"

"Her? AaAhhH, yOU mEan ThAT fOOliSh cHILd?"

"Yes. Her. So I want to know one thing, why?"

"WHy wHAt?"

"You know what I speak of. I know that you are too smart to even not know that I am asking why you interfere."

The voice fell silent at the accusation, when it spoke again, the room grew colder, the shadows so much darker that all that remained was the figure alone.

"yOU mADe US tO dO whaT YoUr PAwn iS noW mEAnt to Do. YoU tHReW us AWAy bEcAuSE wE beCaMe MoRTAl."

"Yes, I need an immortal so-"

"SO tHAt yOU cAN KiLL tHEM iF thEy Go OUt oF hAnd."

"And YeT yOU aSk wHy wE reBEL? WhY wE InteRFeRE? We ArE jEalOUS, KiLLer. So We wILL dO AS yOu wIsHED fOR uS."

"I-"

"WilL siT STiLL aND wATch aS wE fuLFILL WHaT YOu dESireD oF US. AnD kNOw ThAT yOu cOULd NoT KiLL US.

"YoUR pAWn iS moRtaL. So ToO is OUrS. AnD So aRE wE."

The shadows began to writhe as though the ground was now made up of millions of moving tendrils, each moving as though they want to entangle the figure between them, yet coming short as they were turned away just as they reached the being.

"We ALL cANnot bE KilLed by YoU. AnD WE wILL dO As yoU wISheD."

"SO wAIT fOR uS to BE frEE, aNd wAtcH aNotHEr goD fALL, aND aLL tHe OthErs, unTIL YoU aRE the ONLy OnE ReMAiNIng, DeAR faTHeR. YoUr PawN, OuR cHILd, aNd US, We WiLL maKe YoUR dReAM cOmE tRUe."

* * *

Elena did not understand what was going on. One moment, she saw Motoyasu being engulfed in green flames that spilled forth from the eyes of the wight. As soon as that happened, she leapt forward with her sword raised, the blade aimed at the undead's neck where it would easily take its head off. However, before the blow connected, she felt something push her aside, causing her to fall unceremoniously to the ground.

When she looked up, there was no way she could contain her surprise when she saw the Spear Hero leaning over her, one hand outstretched to help her up. She didn't grab it, especially when she was too preoccupied looking at the Wight gazing over his shoulder.

"Elena," His voice shook her out of her state of mental shock. "Come on, you should get up."

"Sir Motoyasu!:" Elena blurted out. "The Wight!"

"Hmmm?" Motoyasu looked behind as though he just noticed the undead for the first time. "Oh, don't worry, we worked something out." He shrugged nonchalantly, "or at least we will be working something out."

"Pardon?"

"Listen, how about you get up first, and I explain everything to you?"

"Ah, my apologies."

Elena's mind was an extremely confused mess now, especially that the wight seemed to be completely unaggressive now. As she accepted Motoyasu's proffered arm, she stole a glance at the almost-offending undead. It was now standing completely still, its gaze locked upon the both of them. However, the gaze now was more akin to casual look of curiosity, not that hostile stare from before.

Above all the questions in her head, the foremost one was an extremely simple one, one that she directed at her Hero. "Motoyasu, what's going on?"

Motoyasu rubbed his head as he wore an awkward expression upon his face. "That would be a very difficult question to answer… but the gist would be that I worked something out with our… acquaintance here."

He gestured to the wight as he spoke, the undead being ignoring the pointing in favor of studying Elena.

"Soooo?"

"Well, she said that-"

"Wait. I mean, sorry. I mean… She?"

"Ah, I spoke to her." Motoyasu pointed at the wight.

"What?!"

"And… she's agreed to help us."

"Wait," Elena shook her head. This was too much information for her to handle as of now. Not to mention… Her eyes caught sight of a small sigil on the back of the hand of her hero's hand. It was shaped like an eye, an eye set in the middle of a five petaled flower, with a skull in the middle of it.

"What is that?" She asked, pointing at the symbol in question.

"Ah," Motoyasu looked at the Sigil,smiling sheepishly as he rubbed it with his other hand. "I was getting to it…"

"The gist of it is, I made a deal."

* * *

 **Was playing around with conversations more in this one. Reviews are optional but will be appreciated.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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